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b"sdIn as much as there are many facets of our life on this planet which seem to follow a consistent pattern (e.g. the sun rises and sets) we tend to fall into a mode of complacency. On the other hand should we choose to; often there is much we can learn ,absorb and grow from the observation of our world. Case in hand the waxing and waning of the moon. Have a good one; h

Interesting week as I've been made aware of several new or reatively new kosher wineries and had the opportunity to taste some of their wines. The most interesting so far has been the Maresha winery located in Nachal Govrin west of Hevron (but within the so-called "green line"). Obviously Yossie H was aware already of this winery as it is found in his very well-made and helpful map of Israeli wineries. The winery produces 2 wines of which I've tasted one, was a very interesting blend of 50% Syrah and 50% Pinotage aged 12 months in oak casks, the kind of blend I had never encountered before and as far as I know, nobody else makes a similar one here. I didn't take even mental notes as the sitting wasn't very convenient but will hopefully contact the winery this week to have a taste of both wines and learn more about the winery itself. Anyway the blend I tasted was pretty nice, medium-bodied with a red fruit profile and featured some very pleasant, nice acidity .

My wines this shabbat were all winners

Friday night:

Carmel, Zarit Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon 2004: I digged this one up from my cellar and was a bit concerned about its drinking status but obviously my fear was proved wrong thank G-d. Aged 15 months in french oak barrels. Dark ruby toward garnet with very thin sediment barely perceptible at the edges, this wines features a beautiful nose of crushed ripe red and black forest fruits with a note of vanilla and oak. Full-bodied with on the palate again sweet but not overripe crushed berries with juicy red plums and red cherries followed by a note of creme de cassis liquor and anise with spicy vanilla, herbs and chocolate covered roasted coffee beans lingering on the long, round and smooth finish along nice, near-sweet tannins gently coating the mouth. This is a beautifully mature wine that seems to have another year or two ahead of it given the still good acid and tannins even at this stage and its continuous evolution over the course of the meal.

Gat Shomron, "24K" Ice Wine-style Viognier 2011: Absolutely delightful as always, this liquid gold is like heaven for the nose and palate. I noticed that the wine has a lot more acid than I had noticed the previous times I tasted it and it should age well for quite a few years.

Shabbat lunch:

Ramot Naftaly, Shiraz 2009: 100% Shiraz aged 12 months in new french and american (50-50) oak casks. Dark garnet toward purple with on the nose classic Shiraz blackberry and raspberry fruit, saddle leather, toasted wood and a note of eucalyptus. Medium to full-bodied and fruit-forward with lots of juicy black and raspberries, smoked meat and fresh tobacco with soft tannins on the long mouth-filling finish. For some reason I was expecting a more extracted wine yet this remains a delicious yet not overly complex Shiraz.

Last night I was thinking of a Saslove I had recently picked up in the US, but something steered me towards a bottle of my homemade 2011 Pinot Noir. I should find someone in Ottawa with a more refined palate than mine to give a proper review. It has a nice ruby colour, and is fairly fruity, with a nice amount of acid for a Pinot Noir. I'm down to my last half-dozen bottles. I wish I had made more!

1995 Rafanelli cabernet unfiltered (Dry Creek). Still holding up very well at 17 years age, 2009 Markham Napa Valley chardonnay, which a guest said went very well with the chicken dish my wife prepared. I was busy with the cabernet but will give the chardonnay a try another day.

2007 Yarden Blanc de Blancs - very good2006 Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon - SPOILED!! Very annoying since I've been cellaring it for about 3-4 years. 2007 Segal's unfiltered cab - wow, really nice. not full bodied, but would nonetheless give it a very high score.

Greetings from Jerusalem. My first time here and I'm in awe. Meeting great people and amazing experiences.2007 segal unfiltered cab, Adam, I agree it is delicious. We had dinner at Spoons. This is a private dinning experience hosted by chef Hila Solomon, who is a charming person and a wonderful chef. Yarden Chenin Blanc with desert. Im not a desert wine guy. This was good but I thought it was a bit too syrupy. I have had many table wines at the bar I don't remember them all Tsafit assemblage - SO so. 2011( i think) Segal reserve cab. A lot better than previous vintages 2009 Barkan cab - pretty good very inexpensive. On our way to the golan now and visiting wineries back in the judean hills next week...

Last night I was thinking of a Saslove I had recently picked up in the US, but something steered me towards a bottle of my homemade 2011 Pinot Noir. I should find someone in Ottawa with a more refined palate than mine to give a proper review. It has a nice ruby colour, and is fairly fruity, with a nice amount of acid for a Pinot Noir. I'm down to my last half-dozen bottles. I wish I had made more!

Adam

Hi Adam,

WOW! You made yourself a Pinot? Now that's quite a challenge! Even if you have access to quality grapes I assume it's not an easy wine to make but what do I know? I've myself never made even not grape juice... I guess you didn't grow the grapes yourself though. I've never actually heard of canadian PN but given the cold climate I believe there might be quite a few out there. How many bottles did you make in total?

Four Gates, Cuvee D, Pinot Noir - while enjoyable, definitely the weakest of the Four Gates winesGHW, Yarden, Odem, Chard, 2010 - really one of the best oaked Chards out there, with control finesse and affordable enjoyability...Livni, Sde Calev, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009 - rich and delicious. The difference to the 2010 is quite noticable

WOW! You made yourself a Pinot? Now that's quite a challenge! Even if you have access to quality grapes I assume it's not an easy wine to make but what do I know? I've myself never made even not grape juice... I guess you didn't grow the grapes yourself though. I've never actually heard of canadian PN but given the cold climate I believe there might be quite a few out there. How many bottles did you make in total?

Best,

GG

Hi Gabriel,

It was my first attempt at making wine. I made about 20L of Pinot Noir and 20L of Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were from California, imported by a local winemaking store. Both grapes were extremely low in acid, so I had to add some, but the sugar was adequate. The PN did give me some trouble, but I got some advice from Craig Winchell, and it came out drinkable in the end. The CS is drinkable, but a little tannic, so I might hold off on drinking it for another couple of years.

I have 20L of CS and 20L of Riesling aging in my basement. I was going to bottle before Purim, but I didn't have time to prepare the bottles. We'll see how they turn out.

Drappier Carte Blanche Brut NV - I expected more from a wine touted as representing the "real thing", authentic champagne. The mousse is somewhat aggressive and overpowers the fruit. The fruity notes seem present in stingy amounts, showing themselves as grapefruit. I don't sense anything particularly layered, complex or lively, and it most definitely doesn't create any distance between itself and sparkling wines from other regions. Personally, I would save my money, purchasing at less than half the price either the Yarden Blanc de Blanc or even the Adar Cava instead, unless the occasion requires a wine that is Mevushal. C/**/N

Dalton Petite Syrah 2009 - This is not a Petite Syrah that should scare anyone away. In fact its fruitiness is very inviting. I find it to be on the ripe side, with fruit that is more lush than lively, showing as raspberry compote complimented by date and fig, supported by dusty tannins and cocoa. I shared it with family and friends, who found it very pleasing and enjoyable. B/***/Y

I found this forum a few weeks ago and I find myself coming back everyday looking at different posts etc. I must say this this is a great resource for wine (and wine halachic issues apparently...).

I opened the Bravdo Cab 2010 this shabbos. On the bottom of the first pour I noticed that it had sediment, I thought that was strange but it smelled like dark jam and tasted of dark fruits as well. I don't recall ever seeing sediment come through on the first pour as well as a number of pours thereafter but maybe this is normal and it is something that is seen from time to time. All in all it was delicious in my book (I have no official scoring system yet, its either like or dislike, good or bad, delicious or not for me, not worth it or gimme more dagnabit!).

I had a bottle of Herzog P.S. Second Edition 2009 - This wine was awesome, I decanted this wine a couple hours before drinking - full bodied, very soft tannins, tons of fruitiness, blueberries and blackberries jumping out of this wine. I wish I had more of these. I also opened a bottle of California Classic Cellars Syrah/Cabernet 2005 - I was expecting a totally undrinkable wine - it was drinkable but I did not enjoy it - the nose on this wine was screaming black olives, next day switched to green olives. The wine tasted pretty bland with a strange finish that was mildly unpleasant.

To Celebrate our 6th Year Anniversary I corked a 2009 Hevron Heights Makhpela and Yumm... Chocolate, Toffee, Coffee, Rich and Brooding yet tame to the Palette and smooth as silk... My wife loved it so I was pleased